


Second Chances

by Kereea



Series: Only AUs Can Be Happy [4]
Category: A Song of Ice and Fire - George R. R. Martin, Game of Thrones (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Reincarnation, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Hurt/Comfort, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-08-09
Updated: 2014-08-09
Packaged: 2018-02-12 12:23:58
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,216
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2109813
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kereea/pseuds/Kereea
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It is the morning of August 9, 2014 when Theon Greyjoy wakes up and remembers Westeros. It is about one minute later when he realizes that Robb Stark is in his bed.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Second Chances

Theon’s eyes snapped open with a gasp.

For a few painful moments he was entirely disoriented, his mind not understanding the painted walls and posters, the small room with a low ceiling, the clock, the quilts, or the slowly churning ceiling fan. His mind insisted that there should be cold stone and furs and he should be broken body and mind, not full-fingered with dark hair that brushed his shoulders.

He’d been sick. At Winterfell. Sansa hadn’t granted him death, instead insisting he pay his debt by serving her until the end of his days. He’d not lasted too long, though, and he wondered if in some strange way she’d been being kind as well as cruel by not killing him outright, in trying to let him atone.

He’d welcomed the illness anyway. He should have died long before.

_I should have died with him_.

A soft, incoherent mumble startled him as soon as he’d finally gotten his bearings, vaguely recalling that he was alive again in another time, a far-future time.

Theon turned and his heart stopped at who was in bed with him.

_“Am I your brother, now and always?”_

Robb Stark, older than he’d lived to be as a king, was curled beneath the sheets and quilts beside Theon, his red curls in a wild disarray.

Theon was once more hit with memories, memories of _this_ time. Of a cheerful redheaded seven year old who didn’t mind Theon had been held back a couple years since he couldn’t read very well. Of awkward feelings he didn’t know how to explain in middle school when Robb had been his only friend. Of Robb shyly kissing him in tenth grade. Of whooping in glee when he realized he and Robb were going to a college and a technical school in the same city. Of them scouting out and buying an apartment together once Theon graduated and got an apprenticeship…

He choked, tears coming to his eyes. He…he didn’t deserve it. Not after what he’d done.

The noise made Robb stir and sleepy blue eyes blinked open, “Theon?” He frowned, “Sweetheart, what’s wrong?”

Theon felt violently ill, but thankfully with his modern memories back he knew where the bathroom was and just made it to the toilet in time to retch.

“Theon!” he heard Robb yell behind him. He went to try and kick the door shut even as he kept vomiting but Robb managed to grab it and force it back. “What’s wrong? Are you sick?”

Yes he was sick, a sick man who had no right to any sort of happiness. Especially with Robb.

_It rhymes with weak and sneak and freak and meek._ That’s what he was. Nothing but a broken, stupid _turncloak_ …

He felt something cool on his neck and realized that Robb had put a wet washcloth there as the redhead sank down next to him.

“Theon, do I need to call a doctor?” Robb asked and all this caring was making it worse as Theon’s sobs caused snot and tears to mix with the bile, quickly turning to acid as his stomach realized it didn’t have much left to give so early in the morning.

_I should have died with him. I should have died. Should have died_.

Theon shuddered as a broad hand ran along his back.

“It’s okay, it’s okay, calm down,” Robb coaxed gently, but all that did was bring fresh tears.

“D-don’t,” Theon choked. “Don’t.”

“Don’t what?” Robb asked, still so worried and caring and…and…everything Theon _didn’t_ deserve from him. The hand became an arm loosely wrapped around him.

Theon shoved him away, “Don’t touch me!”

Robb recoiled at once. “Theon?”

He’d save him this time. Save him from whatever pain Theon would bring him in this life. “It…it’s _over_. Leave me alone! I-I never want to see you again!”

Robb stared at him, wide-eyed and heartbroken. It took all Theon had not to throw himself to the floor and beg forgiveness, choking on mucus or not, but this Robb…this Robb had no idea what he’d done to him.

“Y-you don’t mean that. You can’t!” Robb whispered. “You…we _promised_ …”

He remembered that before settling on this place there was a dinner. Robb smiling, teasing but still oh-so-sincere and the words…they’d used _those_ words.

_“Now and always?”_

He threw up again, this time pure acid that scorched his throat and mouth and made his head spin with agony at it.

He felt a hand settling tentatively on his back once more and swung wildly. “I said _don’t touch me, Stark_!”

He wanted to be cold, to drive Robb off at once, but he couldn’t stop sobbing and-

“Theon, I-I’ll go. If…if you can answer one question for me?”

Theon nodded, spitting the last of the acid into the toilet. His head was spinning like he’d pass out at any moment but he prepared himself to be horrible, to claim he’d been using Robb or that he’d just found him amusing or he’d been cheating for months or anything, _anything_ to drive him away _now_ before he got hurt-

“Does the name Reek mean anything to you?”

_Rhymes with weak_.

Theon went rigid for an instant before collapsing against the toilet, his head just barely hitting his arms instead of the hard plastic as he sobbed even harder.

Robb…Robb had no reason to know that name, even if he’d had his memories he’d have had no reason to know _that name_.

He heard Robb sigh and for a split second prayed his silence had upset the Stark enough to make him go before two strong arms wrapped around his middle, a stubbly chin resting on his bare back, “It’s okay, sweetheart. I know. I know.”

No. He didn’t. He couldn’t.

“It’s okay, Theon. It’s okay,” Robb repeated. “I…I’ve known. For a long time.”

“What?”

“R-remember? That week in tenth grade? When I…I had the flu?”

Theon nodded. The whole Stark family had come down with it, from what he remembered. Catelyn had claimed she hadn’t noticed she’d coughed over dinner when making it one night…

“It wasn’t the flu. We…we all remembered, one morning,” Robb admitted. “And…and a lot us…we didn’t know what to do. Especially me since…since I’d just…you know.”

Theon nodded again. It had only been a few weeks after Robb had first kissed him.

“B-but then…since we all remembered…we put some things together…there was so much crying but…I learned you never killed my brothers. And…and about what happened to you. And…and I just…I told myself then maybe, maybe we could get it right this time?”

Theon whimpered. “So…so you…even though?”

“I…for a while I wondered…when you’d remember. But not everyone did,” Robb said. “Only the Lannister brothers did from their family, and they were in no hurry to tell the others. I…I know the Tyrells did, after their grandmother died, and Renly does but his brothers don’t…so when you didn’t I…I just assumed you never would.”

“How…how could you forgive me like that?” Theon asked.

“Well…for one, the main thing I was angry for you didn’t do,” Robb said. “And…and gods, you think I could hear from Sansa how you often just broke down wishing you’d died with me and not take that into consideration?”

“I do. Wish I had,” Theon hiccupped. “I…I should have.”

“Nothing we can do now,” Robb said. “That’s what I told my parents and that’s how I see it. We can’t change the past.”

“I…know that… _that_ I do know, now,” Theon gasped. Robb quickly handed him some water for his throat and he took it gratefully. “Is there…is there anything…you might…you know, want to ask me?”

“…Just one thing,” Robb said. “Did…did you always plan to do what you did? Or did you just get swept up in it?”

“The second is closer, if too generous,” Theon said. “I…I _had_ to prove myself to my father, prove I wasn’t just your servant. I never should have…I…I told someone, once that later I felt my…my real father died at King’s Landing. I never should have gone home.”

He hung his head, waiting for the condemnation, but instead he felt himself drawn close to Robb, who gently ran a hand through his hair.

“Thank you,” Robb said quietly. “Come on, let’s get you into bed. There’s no way you can go to work like this. I’ll call in for you.”

Damn it Tarth was going to be furious…

Oh gods. He was apprenticing in architecture under Brienne of Tarth, the Lady Knight. Oh gods.

“Does my boss know?”

“Oh…Jaime thinks she might, but she’d never said as much,” Robb admitted. “Come on, up you get.”

Robb had to bear nearly his whole weight, Theon was shaking so badly. He nearly fell back into bed, saved from gravity only by Robb’s hold on him.

“You need something in your stomach. I’ll heat up some of last night’s rice,” Robb said, kissing his forehead. “I…I know this complicates things but…I’m happy with you, Theon. Happy here and now and…I hope it can stay that way?”

Theon nodded. Even if he hadn’t wanted it to, which he did, he did with all his heart, he’d have done _anything_ to make Robb happy. And if somehow he did… “I’m happy too. I…I was just…so scared I’d hurt you again…”

“You tried to push me away,” Robb murmured. “Idiot.”

“I know.”

Robb sighed and kissed him, “Be back in a couple minutes.”

Theon picked at the bed sheets. Part of him wondered if suddenly he’d hear the front door shut, if this has just been Robb mocking him before walking out because if Robb knew…he never should have been here with Theon.

All he heard was the microwave dinging and Robb swearing at the stubborn drawer that for some reason they kept putting the cutlery in.

Robb came back in and passed him a bowl of plain white rice, setting a bottle of water down on Theon’s bedside table. He then went over to the dresser and grabbed his phone, flicking through what must have been the contacts list before settling on one and pressing it to his ear.

Theon blew on the rice. Even warm was probably too hot for his throat right now.

“Hi, Brienne, yeah, I know it’s early, but I wanted to let you know Theon won’t be in. I don’t know what but he’s sick as a dog right now-”

As a dog. Ha. Like he was worth more than some stupid mutt…

“Thanks, I’ll let him know. Yeah, I’m considering a doctor. Bye.”

Robb smiled, “Well, that’s taken care of.”

“Do…do you have class today?” Theon asked.

“No. It’s Saturday, remember?” Robb asked.

“Oh. Right.”

“Theon, I know you don’t really believe me right now, but it will be okay,” Robb said firmly. “Just…just give yourself some time to adjust, all right? Took most of my family a damn week, after all.”

Theon nodded, blinking back new tears. “I…do I sound stupid if I say it doesn’t feel real?”

“No. It…it took a while. Ad I’ll admit I…kind of dreaded seeing you for the first time when I did go back to school,” Robb admitted. “But…but then I realized I was sincere about the whole ‘second chances’ thing and that I really, _really_ wanted one with you. I mean…we both got a lot wrong, didn’t we?”

“We did,” Theon agreed. “And not always with each other.”

“…Sansa…she told me what happened to you,” Robb said.

Theon shook his head, “No. _No_. Please, please don’t make me think about it.” He’d start slipping, he knew it, and even though he remembered Reek and Robb had been told of Reek he’d be damned if he ever let Robb _see_ or _hear_ Reek.

“Okay,” Robb said softly. “Okay. But can I say…when they told me they were flaying you, I told them to stop?”

Theon nodded, “Sure. Sure, you can say that.” It wasn’t worth nothing, after all…actually it was worth a lot that Robb hadn’t wanted even that done to him, even when he had hated him.

“I think I like this life better,” Robb said after a few moments. “Where we’re not lords and kings and what have you. Just an architect and a future-biologist.”

“Only you were ever a king,” Theon said.

“Yes, and a damn good job I did there,” Robb laughed. “Why do you think I always acted like a deer in the headlights when someone wanted me to run for class office? Last time I was voted into authority…no thank you!”

Theon cracked a small smile and Robb beamed at it.

“There you go,” the Stark said, gently running his thumb along Theon’s bottom lip. “There you go.”

Theon set the rest of his rice down and curled into Robb’s side, “Can I just lay here a while?”

“As long as you want, sweetheart,” Robb replied. “As long as you want.”

He could live with that.

**Author's Note:**

> Came up with this while flying cross country. Just a sweet little reincarnation-addition to the series of AUs being the only place Robb and Theon can be happy.  
> Also this, "I'll Be Your Ocean" and some of the others I'm working on have revealed that I have a serious weakness for Robb calling Theon "sweetheart".


End file.
